Browsing by Subject "Sicily"

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    Cradle of triumph: the invasion of Sicily and the Anglo-American Alliance in the Second World War
    (2017-08) Paksoy, Taylan
    This study analyzes the vital importance of the Invasion of Sicily (July 9/10-August 17, 1943), codenamed Operation Husky for the Anglo-American Alliance in the Second World War. As the largest amphibious operation in the Second World War, Operation Husky stands as a significant military action which enhanced the strategic, operational and the tactical capacities of the American and British forces. Surpassing the previous victories, this experience enabled the Anglo-American Alliance to attain further victories later in Europe. However, its role has been underrated in the military historiography of the Second World War. Therefore, this thesis aims to assert its importance through a threelevel, strategic, operational and tactical analysis.
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    The Byzantine insular countryside in the early middle ages (ca. 600-ca.900): The cases of Sicily, Cyprus, and Crete in (partial) light of environmental archaeology
    (Routledge journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd., 2024-09-17) Zavagno, Luca
    This paper provides an overview of rural surveys and environmental archaeology studies on Sicily, Cyprus and Crete during the Byzantine Empire. It re-evaluates traditional interpretations of agricultural settlement patterns, ecosystems and populations from Late Antiquity to the early Middle Ages (late sixth to late ninth century). The prevailing narrative that these islands were devastated by Arab incursions, leading to widespread depopulation, economic collapse and abandonment of rural sites in favour of fortified hilltop settlements, is questioned. Instead, the study employs a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, combining environmental and climatic data with historical and archaeological evidence. This method offers a more nuanced understanding of how insular rural societies adapted to changing environmental and human conditions during the Byzantine Empire's transition from an economically unified region to a fragmented Medieval Mediterranean. The findings highlight the resilient nature of land use and rural settlement patterns amidst the transformation of the empire's political, military and administrative structures.